As springtime replaced winter one year, a certain six-year-old girl received a bright crimson sweater. Her mother intended for her to wear it when outdoors while temperatures could still be on the cool side. But it didn’t take long for the girl to misplace the sweater, casting it off one afternoon when it grew too warm to wear it while she played in the backyard. She left it in a corner of the yard where family members seldom went. The weather continued to be warm enough that the girl forgot about her sweater. In her busyness, and without a need for it, her mother forgot about it too.
Sunlight fell on that corner of the yard for most of the day. As one day after another passed, the sweater remained undisturbed. Imperceptibly at first, the sun began to lighten the crimson dye. For the first several weeks, if anyone were to have picked up the sweater, the difference would have been unnoticeable.
But as time went on, the dye on the upturned side of the sweater continued to fade. That side of the sweater reverted to the original color of the wool.
When the weather turned cool again in the fall, the girl’s mother asked about the sweater; of course, her daughter had no idea where she had left it, and a search commenced.
They found the sweater but didn’t recognize it at first, for its appearance had changed significantly. It was only when the mother picked up the sweater and saw the crimson underneath that she could confirm it was indeed the lost sweater. Both mother and daughter were amazed at the way the sun had removed that bright red color so thoroughly.
Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay
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